Page 13 - Humanism 2018

To My Old Friend

By Monica Gupta, DO ’21

Hello, dear friend
It was nice to see you again
After so many millions of minutes
I had nearly forgotten
That we once danced and laughed
As though we would never forget
One another.

Hello to your earnest face,
Your timid smile
And dancing eyes,
Eyes that do not darken or melt
When you describe
How you are losing your sight,
How your freedoms slip away
One by one
Like the petals on a tulip
Once vibrant, always delicate
How those you love
Surround you, carving through the darkness
Like a tide rushing forward to quench dry sand
Moistening the crystals but never quite
Changing the substance, the matter.

Hello caring heart,
No self-pity, only art.
Arms spread wide, camera high
Poised to capture the world
As best you can
For yourself,
And your fellow man
See the bits and details
You missed the first time around.

Dear friend,
Perhaps your eyes are not failing you
But showing you
Vividly
What to focus on,
With your cornea, retina, and heart
What lasts and never was seen.

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